January 7, 2010



Providence, R.I. – The Johnson & Wales University men’s basketball team posted a thrilling 53-50 victory against Connecticut College in a non-conference contest at the Harborside Recreation Center on Thursday evening.



Sophomore Lamonte Thomas (Providence, R.I.) scored a game-high 19 points and added four steals, three rebounds and three assists in the win for Johnson & Wales. Sophomore James Folk (Salem, N.H.) notched 12 points and added a team-high seven rebounds for the Wildcats.



Sophomore Demetrius Porter (Virginia Beach, Va.) led the way for Connecticut College, recording a double-double with 13 points and 14 rebounds while junior Dean Lampe (Hamilton, Mass.) added 10 points and six boards for the Camels.



Connecticut College jumped out to the early lead and held a 13-8 lead after a jumper by Porter with 15:31 left in the first half. Johnson & Wales responded with a 12-5 run of their own, capped by a jumper by Thomas to take the 20-18 advantage with 6:20 remaining on the clock. The two teams then traded leads throughout the remainder of the half with the score tied 25-25 heading into the locker room at intermission. Johnson & Wales shot just 27.6% from the field while Connecticut College had 13 first half turnovers.



The visiting Camels opened the second half on a 12-4 run and took the 37-29 lead on a layup by junior Conor Sheehy (Syosset, N.Y.) with 13:37 left in the contest. Johnson & Wales responded with an 11-5 run, cutting the lead to 42-40 on a layup by Thomas with 9:30 remaining in the contest. The Wildcats came all the way back and regained the lead on a pair of free throws by junior Justin Adams (Providence, R.I.) with 2:44 left in the game, taking the 48-47 lead. JWU led by a score of 51-50 before forcing a Connecticut College turnover with just :14 left. Thomas then converted a pair of free throws to give the Wildcats the three point advantage. The Camels had one last chance, but couldn’t convert on several three point attempts as time expired to give JWU the 53-50 victory.



With the win Johnson & Wales is now 5-5 for the year while Connecticut College falls to 5-6 for the season. The Wildcats will return to action on Saturday, January 9th when they host Mount Ida College in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference contest, starting at 3:00 p.m